1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to power management topology, and more specifically to battery charge controllers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various portable electronic devices have a power supply system that monitors, controls, and directs power from various power sources to supply power to the system load of the electronic device. These power sources generally include a fixed output ACDC adapter and one or more rechargeable batteries. The power supply system contains a power conversion block, e.g., a DC to DC converter to convert a fixed DC voltage supplied by the ACDC adapter to a finely controlled variable output DC voltage to charge the battery.
The power supply system operates to supply power to the system from either the ACDC adapter or from the host battery and to perform battery charging if proper conditions are met. As such, there is typically an ACDC source switch for selectively coupling the ACDC adapter to the system, a Battery switch for selectively coupling the host battery to the system, and a charging switch that may connect the host battery to an output of the DC to DC converter for charging. When power is supplied to the system from the ACDC adapter, the ACDC source switch is closed, the Battery switch is open, and the charging switch may either be open or closed. In contrast, when power is supplied to the system from the battery, the Battery switch is closed, and the ACDC source switch and the charging switch are open.
In order to be able to charge the battery up to its maximum operating voltage, the output voltage of the ACDC adapter is chosen to be higher (usually at least 1 to 2 V higher) than the maximum operating voltage of the battery. Since the output voltage of the ACDC adapter has a fixed value while the output voltage of the battery may vary largely (depending on its charged state) the ACDC adapter and the battery can not be coupled in parallel to supply power to the system load at certain times. This difference in voltage would lead to undesirable inter-current flow from the higher voltage source (ACDC adapter) to the lower voltage source (battery). As a result, in order to account for transient high power needs of the system, the ACDC adapter is typically oversized, significantly increasing the cost of the power supply system.
In addition, since the ACDC adapter's output voltage is fixed, its output voltage cannot be used to charge the battery which entails fine charging voltage and current control. As such, a second power conversion step accomplished by the DC to DC converter is compulsory. This second power conversion step causes further cost increase and diminishes the overall efficiency of the power supply system.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for power management topologies that enables only one power conversion to provide a controllable DC output to the system load and the battery, or enables a controllable DC power source and battery to be coupled in parallel to supply the system load, or has both features.